Hyderabad: The neurosurgical team at Hyderabad-based AIG Hospitals has successfully completed Asia’s first implantation of a high cervical spinal cord stimulator, known as a neurostimulator, marking an advancement in the treatment of chronic headaches. This procedure promises new possibilities for patients whose conditions are resistant to conventional medical therapies.
The surgery was performed on a 23-year-old woman from Mauritius, who had been suffering from severe, medically refractory chronic migraines. These debilitating headaches came with autonomic symptoms and were unresponsive to existing treatments.
The neurostimulator implanted at AIG Hospitals utilised cutting-edge technology to manage pain through targeted electrical stimulation, modulating nerve activity within the high cervical area — a region critical to a wide range of bodily functions.
The operating team was led by Dr Siddharth Chavali, senior consultant, chronic pain and neuromodulation, alongside Dr Subodh Raju, director of neurosurgery at AIG Hospitals. Dr Chavali described the procedure as “sophisticated and particularly challenging due to the delicate nature of the cervical area and the precision required in positioning the stimulator.”
Dr Raju shared his optimism about the patient’s postoperative recovery: “The stimulator will significantly improve the management of the patient's migraine symptoms. She has already reported a substantial enhancement in her quality of life, which speaks volumes about the potential of neuromodulation in treating chronic pain conditions.”
Dr D Nageshwar Reddy, chairman of AIG Hospitals, said that pain can impair a patient’s life profoundly and that this breakthrough is monumental not just for those suffering from headaches but for many other conditions of chronic pain.
